Get Anime-ted!

Anime Festival Returns

By Richard Davis

TFW Staff Writer

“Ka-Me-Ha-Me-Ha!”
It’s back and time again for the Arkansas Anime Festival on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 20-21 at the Clarion Hotel and Convention Center in Bentonville.
The festival, sponsored by Realms Anime in Fayetteville, bills itself as Arkansas’ largest and longest running anime and gaming convention. The event features voice actors, stage shows, vendors, dances, table top gaming, video gaming and cosplay (that’s dressing up and pretending to be anime or video game characters for the uninitiated).
This year the festival will also feature Daniel Coglan, also known as Samuri Dan. Coglan is a full-time martial arts instructor, specializing in 16th century samurai arts. He has been training and teaching for more than 20 years, and his show is a blend of history, combative skill and humor, designed to educate and entertain audiences.
In his show, Coglan highlights tameshigiri, performing the art of test cutting using traditional soaked tatami mats and samurai swords. Tatsu Kami, a 700-year-old remounted katana — a type of Japanese sword — is used to demonstrate proper spacing, blade angle, power and balance just as the warriors of old did to perfect their skills.
The cost of the festival is $35 for adults and $20 for children for a weekend pass, $25 for an adult Saturday ticket and $20 for an adult Sunday ticket. You can register for the event online at www.arkansasanimefestival.com or by going to Realms Anime, 2577 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville.